How to remove head lice from someone else.

If you are dealing with head lice on your own head, and you do not have someone to help you, click here.

So, you've checked and you are certain you have found head lice in someone. Don't worry. You can beat this. People have been fighting head lice effectively for years without any special tools.  If you have nothing but your hands, just get the person with lice in some good light and start picking out the bugs and eggs.  You can pick lice and nits out faster than they can reproduce and so you can always get ahead of their cycle if you just put in the time.   However there are some tools that can be of help in the fight:
- A proper metal lice comb (A high quality lice comb is a great investment. It saves you time, can be used with multiple people and can be used for years. If you can't get one of these combs, still use the comb you have.  Even a plastic comb with teeth close together can remove adult bugs during a wet combing.)

- A head lamp (Not essential but helpful. I got mine at Dollarama for $2. It gives you a good, hands-free light source for wherever you choose to pick.)

- A hair dryer (Not essential but helpful. Click here to read how this can help eradicate head lice.)

- Hair conditioner (A really helpful tool. This really makes the combing go much more smoothly, keeps the hair detangled, and keeps the head damp which is great because lice slow down or stop moving when wet. Water and conditioner also make nits easier to remove.)

Other things that can sometimes be of assistance:

 - Hair clips (to section off the hair you have already combed), a water spray bottle (to have on hand if the hair starts drying out), a towel (to put over the shoulders to keep the person from getting soaked), toilet paper (to wipe your lice comb), and a garbage bag (to throw the used toilet paper in).

Grab what you can or what you want, read through all the following steps, and then get started.

• Be prepared. Combing may take a while so if you have to go to the bathroom, do it now. It might be helpful to put on a movie or a video game for the person being “picked” to help them pass the time. Eat before you start and have a drink on hand because once you get started, you want to keep going for a while without interruptions.  Still, remember that you don't need to do a marathon combing.  Do what you can now and if you need to stop or take a break, just get back to it at some point.) 

• Find a comfortable place for you both to sit. If you don't have a head lamp, sit in a place that has good light.  Don't think that you have to do lice combing in the bathroom.  I usually do combing in the living room where the TV is.  If you are doing lice combing with your own small children, you might find it helpful to do the combing in the bathtub.  The water is calming, you don't have to worry so much about the mess of water and conditioner, and bath toys can keep your little ones occupied. 

If you have a fine toothed comb or a proper metal lice comb…

• Wet the hair, saturate it with hair conditioner, and detangle the hair. The hair conditioner does not have to be expensive - generic hair conditioner will do.  Detangle the conditioned hair with a brush.  Leave the conditioner in.
 
• Comb through the still conditioned hair again with a fine tooth comb or a good metal lice comb. Comb each section numerous times, from scalp to tip in once continuous motion, all the while, keeping watch for bugs or eggs. Combing wet hair with a regular fine tooth comb can remove most adult bugs. Combing with a proper metal lice comb can remove adult bugs, most smaller bugs, and many eggs.

• Clean the comb throughout the process. Look at the comb after each stroke and if you see a louse or an egg, remove it by wiping the comb on some toilet paper or paper towel. Have a garbage bag close by for you to throw the toilet paper in after wiping. Regularly check the comb  – if the wiping doesn’t remove the bugs or eggs from the comb, use dental floss to clean between the “teeth” of the comb. (Never separate the teeth of the comb with your fingers.)

• Continue this process until you have gone through every section of hair and have been able to comb the whole head at least 100 times without finding an egg or a louse. If you find another egg or louse, start counting strokes again at one. This can take a while the first time but will get quicker and quicker each day.

If you do not have a comb…
• Go through each section of hair, a few of hairs at a time, looking at each hair from different angles.

• If you find a nit, pinch the hair between your index finger and your thumbnail and scrape the egg all the way to the tip of the hair, pull it off the hair and dispose of it.

• If you find a bug, just pick it off the scalp and dispose of it. Remember, baby bugs can be as small as a speck of pepper. If you are not sure if what you have found is a nit or bug or just a piece of sand or dandruff, just pick it out anyway.

If you have a hair dryer...
Once the hair is dry, separate the hair into at least 20 sections (or work with only one small section at a time). Blow dry each section of dry hair for at least 30 seconds on each side. The fast air should be directed at the scalp. The hair dryer should be on the fastest setting but NOT on the hottest setting - warm air only. This method has been shown to be somewhat effective on the bugs and very effective on the eggs.  The hair dryer is a useful tool, but blowing the hair is not as important as combing the hair.  Combing gets things off the head which is what we want most.

• Do a thorough check for new lice activity every 2-4 days until you have had 2 weeks of no nit/lice sightings. If you see more eggs or bugs, do not panic. You have the situation under control. Just remove any eggs or bugs that you find. You can always pick the eggs off faster than they can lay them if you just stay on top of the situation.

•  If 2 weeks have gone by with no sightings of eggs or bugs, just do routine combings once in a while. My kids get a quick lice combing once a week. Always do a more extensive check if the person complains of having an itchy scalp. Regular wet combing with a fine tooth comb or a proper lice comb should prevent lice from ever becoming a big problem in the future.

Alternative Treatments

• Traditional lice “shampoos” are costly, and though they once were effective, many of them are no longer effective. Our lice in industrialized nations have adapted to their pesticides. I don't recommend the use of any "shampoos" or "treatments".

• Products that may claim to prevent head lice, such as those with tea-tree oil or tar, have no proven effectiveness and I have been to many homes where head lice have flourished even though these products were used faithfully.

• Home remedies, such as olive oil, mayonnaise, or vinegar have not been clinically proven to be effective. And they are very messy. 
• The use of any alternative treatments (or traditional treatments) still requires the removal of any bugs or eggs from the scalp. In other words, there is no “magic” treatment or process that will prevent you from having to pick out the eggs and bugs, and that is why I find these treatments unnecessary.

What about house cleaning or vacuuming or bagging toys or doing laundry?  These are time wasters that don't do anything. Click here for more info.

Don't waste your money on supposed quick fixes.  Don't waste your time on any activities that are away from the head.  Don't sacrifice your schedule or your sanity to the head louse.  Bit by bit, nit by nit, you will beat this over time. 

Good luck!